India set to rout England?

The second Test is underway in Mumbai. Here's why the visitors should be wary of the home side

The second Test is underway in Mumbai. Here’s why the visitors should be wary of the home side.

England cannot play spin. India cannot play the short ball or seam on grassy wickets. South Africa, despite their consistency, will find a way to choke in different conditions, each cause more fascinating than the last. Australia currently evoke symptoms of all these three teams, spin, swing and unpredictability in their play ever since the legends departed. Then there are Sri Lanka and Pakistan, much mercurial sides, depending mostly on where the matches are being played.

It means that home advantage has never been as important as it is now. Test cricket is in for an exciting time as there is no proper number one ranked team in the world. Three teams have held that position over the last one year. At the same time however it also points towards the growing chasm between a true champion and also-rans. The Aussies under Steve Waugh or the West Indies under Clive Lloyd were consistent across different conditions, and knew how to overcome challenges. While this instability of competition is a good spectacle, too much of it will lead to an era without the invincibility of true champions.

India vs England first Test recap

MS Dhoni was not happy despite his side romping home by a comfortable margin of nine wickets. His bowlers had to toil really hard on a pitch that lost all its spin and turn after day two. And it never really had any bounce in the first place. Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin toiled hard, the former standing out with nine wickets. But it was the seam bowling that stole the show. Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav used reverse swing to maximum effect, picking seven English wickets, a sharp contrast to the struggles of opposition medium-pacers.

It was a good thing that England’s mental devils caused them to panic and collapse in the first innings, for the wicket was so good for batting thereafter, that the match should have petered down to a draw.

India look a better side than England. At least nine players contributed to India’s victory at Ahmedabad. The only absentees being Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Despite their two best batsmen missing out, India were strong enough to post a 500-plus total, thanks mainly to Virender Sehwag and Cheteshwar Pujara. Pujara’s double hundred and the manner in which he dominated the bowling really stood out.

England struggles and fights back

The English performance in the first Test is a story with two halves. In the first half, their mental demons against spin came to the fore, as one after another, the top-order batsmen went to their doom. Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell in particular were guilty, with Jonathan Trott being a lesser culprit on the account that he got two very good deliveries. But Alastair Cook and Matt Prior showed that they just need to apply themselves to be able to fight long and hard. As good as Prior played, Cook’s hundred is one of the best innings by an overseas batsman in such spin-friendly conditions.

Besides getting their temperament right, England need to do the basics properly, and perhaps the rest might fall into place. For that to happen, they need to pick a team that actually has a chance of fighting in these conditions. They had Graeme Swann leading their attack, and considering Samit Patel’s credentials, they went into a Test in India with just the one proper spin option. It was hara-kiri to say the least and the ineffectiveness of Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan only compounded matters. It might not change things much, given India’s superiority in such conditions, but England cannot afford to leave Monty Panesar on the bench in Mumbai.

Chetan Narula is the author of Skipper: A Definitive Account of India’s Greatest Captains.